Luck, Woody Allen, and Barry Bonds

I watched Match Point this weekend, and I kinda liked it. It wasn't a typical Woody Allen movie--it's set in London (not New York), and it's not a comedy. The movie toys with the idea that luck plays a bigger role in life than we usually assume. The main character is tennis instructor who says "I'd rather be lucky than good," as the movie opens, and we see a tennis ball striking the top of the net--the idea being it is pure luck which side it falls on. Chris (that's the main character) meets a girl, marries into a rich family, gets a high-paying job, and gets away with a lot of things (don't want to ruin the movie for those who haven't seen it)--mostly through luck. It's kind of disturbing to think that luck can play such a big role in your life, especially if you assume that you control what happens to you.

Meanwhile, back in real life, I was talking to a co-worker about that guy who caught Barry Bonds' 715th home run ball because he happens to work at our company. He wasn't even in his seat when he caught it--he was waiting in line to buy beer. What a lucky guy!